Influencer Marketing 101

Influencer marketing opens up a world of possibilities – it helps you reach a bigger audience, grow your brand awareness, boost sales and promote a positive brand reputation. You can carefully select who you want to be talking about your brand over social and what you want them to say. It’s an economic way to advertise and stand out from the crowd.

It’s been known as ‘the next big thing’ for a while and it’s safe to say it has become the big thing this year.

It’s something that we have recently started dipping into and it’s working so well with our clients. It is opening doors to a whole new audience and helping them grow their following and their engagement over Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and even Snapchat.

People always to look their peers and icons for approval and recommendations and they pay even more attention when it’s coming from a reputable source. That can be anyone from a small time food critic to Beyoncé. Now, we know you’re not likely to secure Beyoncé to promote your brand, but you get what we mean!

Social media isn’t about the hard sell – it never has been and it never will be. So, the trick is finding engaging and interesting ways to sell, without actually selling. Influencer marketing is a neat way to spark ‘organic’ conversations and reel in followers. You want to be talking with your consumers rather than at them. You want people to feel like your brand is the next big thing and that your product is an absolute must-have. Influencers help do exactly that. If 20 people are talking about your new cocktail all at once to a big audience of avid listeners, chances are everyone will want one and your bar will be packed next Friday at cocktail hour.

Influencer marketing isn’t always easy and you’ll need to put your thinking cap on to make sure you find the right strategy for your brand if you’re doing it yourself. But, it’s something that is almost fool-proof if you get it right.

Here are 3 very simple tips to help you get started:

Research your influencer market – find who the movers and shakers are in your industry. The big-time personal trainers or the expert food photographers. Don’t choose people who are irrelevant to your brand or who have questionable morals as that will just damage your reputation

Have something to offer – decide if you want to give them a free sample of your product in exchange for some shout outs, a gift card or maybe some mutual social love

Outline what they need to do – there’s no use sending them a product without getting something in return. Let them know if they need to take some photos for your UGC, give you a shout out from their own social channels or post some love on your feed